Get To Know: Kim Coalson, Senior Vice President

I’m a Senior Vice President for AppFolio, where I lead the MyCase business.

How did you end up working for MyCase/AppFolio?

I joined AppFolio almost 6 years ago — it was a very easy (and very good) decision. Earlier in my career I was lucky enough to work with some of AppFolio’s founders at another successful startup, so I knew I was joining a quality team.

Earlier this year AppFolio presented me with the opportunity to join the team at MyCase. I am so excited about the work we are doing at MyCase, and so driven to deliver the best product and the best service anywhere — it’s an exciting time to be a MyCaser!

What does your job entail?

I work closely with our leadership team at MyCase to develop strategy and execute on short and long term goals. I spend a lot of time reading survey feedback from our customers, listening to calls, and meeting customers and other folks in the legal industry in person; I believe that to serve our customers in the best way we have to be listening and learning all the time.

What is the most difficult part of your job?

That’s easy, it’s saying ’no’ to things. We receive a lot of great ideas and suggestions, and this input directly influences product decisions with new features and enhancements to MyCase rolling out every week. Making decisions about what to implement is tough, and sometimes means saying no (or not now) to good ideas.

At MyCase our goal is to build software that helps our customers grow their practices by freeing them up to do what they are best at — because when their practices grow, we grow too! Our goal isn’t to do the most things, we want to do most important things really well.

What’s the best part of your job?

The people I get to work with; if you surround yourself with great people it’s hard to go wrong!

Where are you originally from and how did you end up in Santa Barbara?

I grew up in Alpharetta, GA and moved to Santa Barbara to attend UC Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is an easy place to fall in love with, and I feel very lucky to live and work in such a beautiful place.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My hobbies are limited only by the amount of free time I have. I like to be in motion and I’ll try almost anything. I especially love travel and the outdoors — and I spend a lot of my free time is with a lovely horse named Tracker.

Do you have any unusual hobbies?

I love horses, and took up riding as an adult. My equine partner is Tracker, and we practice dressage and carrot eating (that’s mostly him).

Tell me about your family/pets, etc.?

I am married to a terrific guy named Bill, we have a lot of fun together. Although we don’t have children, our household includes two very indulged cats and one king snake. The king snake is a long story, but as a public service announcement I’d like readers to know that snakes can live over 20 years.

Do you have a favorite saying or quote and if so, what is it and why?

There are so many great quotes out there. Today I think I’ll choose a quote from Guy Kawasaki. It’s a great reminder not to be surprised by the the hard work of doing something worthwhile.

Nicole Black is an attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase. Her legal career spans nearly two decades and she has extensive litigation experience. She was named an inaugural ABA Legal Rebel in 2009 and an inaugural Fastcase 50 in 2011. She is also a well known legal technology author, journalist, and speaker. She wrote "Computing for Lawyers" (2012) and co-authored "Social Media: The Next Frontier" (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors "Criminal Law in New York," a Thomson West treatise. She often speaks at conferences about the intersection of law, mobile computing and Internet-based technology. She can be reached at niki.black@mycase.com.